Gardening for Wellness & Joy: White Strawberries

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If you’ve ever looked at a beautiful plant and thought, I’d love one of those, you might not need to buy one. You might just need to take a cutting.
In this episode of White Strawberries, we’re getting into the wonderfully simple world of plant propagation — how to take cuttings and turn a small piece of an existing plant into a whole new plant.
I talk about taking cuttings from deciduous trees like figs, grapes and elderberries, why waiting until the leaves have dropped can be the perfect time, and how to recognise the leaf nodes where roots and new growth will form.
We also get into the slightly geekier side of cuttings, including cloning, diversity, grafted fruit trees, rooting hormones and why some plants have a much higher “take rate” than others.
And if you’ve received one of my fig cuttings in the mail, there are a few tips for getting it safely into soil and giving it the best chance of growing.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
How to take hardwood cuttings from deciduous plants
Why figs, grapes and hydrangeas are so easy to propagate
How to identify leaf nodes
Where to place leaf nodes when planting a cutting
Why cuttings are clones of the parent plant
Why diversity still matters when propagating
When rooting hormone can help
How to take cuttings from evergreen plants
Whether you need pots, special soil or fancy propagation equipment
How taking cuttings can help us share abundance within our communities
🔗 Free Cuttings Guide
I’ve created a free PDF with the basics of taking and growing cuttings:
Download the free Cuttings PDF
Take a walk around your neighbourhood, look at what’s growing, ask a friend for a cutting — and have a play. You might be surprised by just how many new plants you can grow for free.
Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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There are some funny reels at the moment about not showing the one you love how much you spend on plants! But it doesn't have to be like that. 
In this episode, I talk with regenerative grower and educator Levi Brinsdon-Hall about the power of seeds, propagation and food forests.
We explore why growing from seed is such an important skill for gardeners, how a tiny seed can become the beginning of abundance, and why creating a diverse ecosystem is about so much more than simply growing food for ourselves.
Levi shares his approach to starting a food forest, the importance of observation, and how working with plants over time teaches us about our own landscapes.
In this episode we talk about:
🌱 Why learning to grow from seed gives you independence as a gardener
 🌱 The difference between buying plants and learning propagation
 🌱 How seeds create abundance and resilience
 🌱 Why flowers and “non-food” plants are essential in a healthy ecosystem
 🌱 Starting a food forest from year zero
 🌱 Using observation to understand what your land needs
 🌱 Building soil health through diversity and living plants

You can find Levi all over socials! Including
-LinkedIn
-Instagram
 To follow Levi resourcing 1000 young growers and their schools and families with free resource packs, visit deliciousrevolution.nz.
Levi recommends looking at the history of your land's use. If you're in Auckland, NZ, this is where you find that. 

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
Bird flu has arrived in New Zealand, and if you keep backyard chickens, ducks or other poultry, you may be wondering what this actually means for your flock.
In this episode of White Strawberries, we talk about H5N1 bird flu and what backyard poultry keepers need to know. We look at how this strain differs from the bird flu you may have heard about previously, what symptoms to watch for in chickens, ducks and wild birds, and why biosecurity matters even if your birds normally free-range.
We get practical about protecting your flock: keeping wild birds and rodents away from feed, preventing access to potentially contaminated water and droppings, and why simply putting up bird netting may not be enough. We also talk about what to do if you need to temporarily confine free-range chickens, whether chickens can survive H5N1, when veterinary care is important, and what happens if birds have been exposed.
This isn't about panic or pretending we can eliminate every risk. It's about understanding the risks and giving your flock the best chance possible.
🌱 What You'll Discover
What makes H5N1 different from previous bird flu concerns
Signs and symptoms of bird flu in chickens, ducks and wild birds
Practical ways to reduce exposure to wild birds and rodents
Why contaminated water and droppings can be a concern
How to protect free-range chickens
Whether chickens can survive H5N1
When veterinary care may be needed
What happens to exposed chickens
Practical biosecurity steps for backyard poultry keepers
Other Episodes with Sez the Vet on chickens can be found HERE.

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
What if your garden could give you more time, more health, and more connection — instead of becoming another job?
Welcome to White Strawberries: Gardening for Wellness and Joy.
This podcast explores how growing food, flowers, and gardens can support a healthier, more connected life.
Join Sam as she shares what’s working in her own garden and conversations with growers, authors, and gardeners who are creating more resilient, nature-connected ways of living.
Whether you want to grow your own food, create a flower-filled space, grow herbs, or simply reconnect with nature, you’re in the right place.
A garden should support your life — not take it over.
May your garden be abundant and your strawberries white.
Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
Asparagus is one of the most boujee perennial crops to put into your S&P 500—(perennial garden investment portfolio) but getting it right starts long before the first harvest.

In this episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through everything you need to know about planting asparagus crowns, preparing the perfect soil, and creating a bed that will produce for decades- and also not doing any of things and giving a go anyway... 👌
 I also share how I'm establishing asparagus in my own food forest.
Whether you're planting your very first crowns or adding asparagus to an established garden, this episode will help you create a productive patch that keeps rewarding you year after year.
🌱 What You'll Discover
 Why most gardeners choose crowns instead of growing from seed 
 How to prepare an asparagus bed that lasts for decades 
 The soil conditions asparagus loves 
 Traditional trench planting versus modern no-dig methods 
 When to harvest—and when to leave your plants alone 
 How many asparagus plants you need to feed your family 

🔗 Resources Mentioned
 Grounded Waitlist
 
🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Mentioned
 Animal Manure in the Garden
Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.